Interventions and Services Offered to Former Juvenile Offenders Reentering Their Communities

Abstract

The authors review youth reentry and reintegration programming services findings and describe what works and what does not. Then, as an explanatory strategy for interpreting the findings, they introduce overlooked issues concerning identity formation and the influences of race/ethnicity and class. They consider (a) a systems theoretical stance that acknowledges youths’ perspectives, (b) human development themes that do not emphasize psychopathology, and (c) the settings where reentry and reintegration programming occur. The authors conclude by recommending strategies for improving assessments of programming and services.

Social Ecology and Recidivism: Implications for Prisoner Reentry*

“…Common to such explanations is the insight that something may be unique to this age-and race-specific group and its experiences, which in turn may lead contextual factors to have differential effects on them (Spencer and Jones-Walker, 2004;Sullivan, 2004). In a national study of youth, for example, Haynie and Payne (2006: 796) found that the "structural and behavioral characteristics of adolescents' peer networks" largely accounted for race-specific differences in violent offending committed by young people and that racial heterogeneity in social networks exerted a greater crime-reducing effect among black youth as compared with whites.…”

Community-Based Juvenile Reentry Services: The Effects of Service Dosage on Juvenile and Adult Recidivism

“…Interventions that are intended to disrupt the cycle of reoffending are numerous. These can include individual therapeutic interventions, family interventions, and mentoring programs, all of which are designed to address barriers to successful reentry (Spencer & Jones-Walker, 2004). Most of these programs are individually focused, in that they seek to reduce the young person's risk factors and build upon protective factors to prevent reoffending (Abrams & Snyder, 2010).…”

The Needs Deficit of Pre-Release Juvenile Offenders to be Re-Integrated into the Educational System

“…Previous studies indicate that juveniles' unmet educational needs and their unsuccessful re-integration into the educational system often have a long-term negative impact on their lives which make them more vulnerable for further failures in securing employment which often resulting in economic and social hardship such as poverty, homelessness and recidivism into the juvenile and adult justice systems during their transition from adolescence to adulthood (Coalition for Juvenile Justice, 2001;Altschuler and Brash, 2004;Spencer and Jones-Walker, 2004;Agnew, 2005;Osgood et al, 2005;Snyder and Sickmund, 2006;Lapan et al, 2007;Simoes et al, 2008;Lee and Villagrana, 2015) Since education has profound implications on the juveniles' future and determining the risk of their recidivism, therefore, it is imperative for the juvenile justice systems to improve the re-integration supports and educational programming in the institutions since the previous studies found that juvenile offenders received low quality education and lack of re-integration supports during their confinement and transition into the community (Yohalem and Pittman, 2001;Matvya et al, 2006;Mazzotti and Higgins, 2006;Nellis and Wayman, 2009;Blomberg et al, 2011).…”